


something new

by erenmin



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst if u squint, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-31 18:18:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19431499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erenmin/pseuds/erenmin
Summary: Armin of course wishes for more than just sleep when he’s laying with Eren, but it has to be enough for him.(It never would be.)





	something new

**Author's Note:**

> new fandom... again. i'm pretty i've read every single work in the eremin tag on this website in the span of three days. I also had lots of feelings after episode 57 and 58. this is also what definitely happened after episode 57, you can't tell me otherwise. 
> 
> i love bed sharing fics a bit too much, pretty sure i've written at least one for each fandom/ship of mine.

**I.**

Armin almost lands on the floor from jumping out of chair when Eren screams. He runs to his cell, Eren meeting him at the bars as Mikasa tries to stick her head out of her cell as much as she can to check on Eren. Armin watches as Eren slumps to the floor and puts his head into his hands, breathing heavily. Ever since they returned from Shiganshina Armin could tell there was so much going on with Eren within himself, and Armin felt absolutely useless as he couldn’t help him. He could only watch as Eren seemed to be driven closer and closer to madness with the intrusion of his father’s memories and the true, horrific history of Titans and Eldians, which is what they were supposedly called by the rest of the outside world.

Armin and Mikasa stand over Eren for a small while, as if to make sure Eren doesn’t do anything or anything happens to him. Armin reassures Mikasa that he’ll keep an eye on Eren, convincing to go to bed still with some reluctance. He pulls out the key to Eren’s cell and lets himself in, sitting next to Eren’s curled up figure. 

Eren’s head snaps up as he suddenly feels Armin’s presence, confused. “Where did you get a key?”

“Stole it off Levi,” Eren’s face goes from confusion to bewilderment in seconds, but he still manages to let out a chuckle. 

“Okay, how the hell did you get it off him?”

“I may have learned a thing or two from Sasha,” Armin dangles the key on his finger smugly, as if he was showing off a prize. This gets a genuine laugh from Eren, which is music to Armin’s ears as his heart flutters at the sound. He can’t remember the last time he’s heard Eren actually laugh, it was such a light and free sound coming from Eren, Armin makes sure to keep that sound locked away in his head for a pick up when he needs it. 

“Never saw you as the thieving type,” Armin laughs this time, which he notices cracks a smile out of Eren, something else beautiful and rare he locks away. Eren sighs and lays his head on Armin’s shoulder, as if a small weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Armin subconsciously lifts his hand closest to Eren and runs it through his hair, Eren leaning into his touch. Eren doesn’t mind the contact, it was something that was normal between the two. 

Or, at least it used to be for Armin. 

Armin couldn’t exactly pinpoint the exact moment or even the general period when being so affectionate with Eren stopped feeling like second nature and more intimate. Now, he was all too aware of Eren on his shoulder, so close to his neck and the two sitting shoulder to shoulder with no space between them. They’ve been like this since they were kids, it was so effortless and thoughtless when they were younger. There were no underlying intentions or feelings in their interactions, only pure, naive platonic care between the two. It wasn’t that simple anymore. 

Something runs deeper in these shows of affection, Armin’s all too aware. He knows he desires these moments to mean something, something different from just friendship. He wishes he didn’t feel so restrained to just the same touches, he yearns for the small touches that are constantly changing and have no boundaries. He wishes to intertwine his fingers with Eren’s, to pepper him with tender kisses followed with reassuring words that come from the bottom of Armin’s heart. He knows nobody understands Eren like Armin does, and he takes true pride in that fact. If only he never had to filter his words. 

It’s different now because Armin is hopelessly in love with his best friend. No more innocent intent, but instead a yearning for a connection that goes beyond friendship.

Armin’s true feelings better explain his repossession of the key as well, he couldn’t handle being completely useless to Eren any longer by some measly metal bars dividing the two. He’s never felt so happy about stealing until now, with Eren in his arms knowing he’s giving Eren the feelings of comfort and safety that he needs. 

Armin notices Eren’s breaths evening out and he slightly cranes his neck to see his eyes are closed, finally asleep. Luckily Armin threw his blanket right next to Eren’s cell and reaches for it, pulling it between the bars and draping it over the both of them. Armin doesn’t want to risk waking Eren up by trying to lay him down, but it was more because he doesn’t want to leave Eren’s side and lose his warmth. Armin feels his eyelids getting heavier, resting his head on top of Eren’s as he lets himself slip into sleep. 

The next morning when Armin wakes himself up he makes sure to slip the key into Eren’s pocket after he’s let himself out before Levi or Hange arrive so he can get in again. 

**II.**

Two days later is when a desk is moved into Eren’s cell and Levi allows Armin access during the day to record and chronicle the memories Eren receives from his father. Eren had horrendous writing to the point of Eren sometimes struggling to read it himself after, so Armin volunteered to writing everything down while telling Eren his findings from his earlier sessions with Hange to help make sense of the more vague memories. Both captains come to lock and unlock the cell with Hange’s key after Levi makes a comment about misplacing his somewhere, stopping by to let Armin in, check on them, then let Armin out at the end of the night. That’s the last time either of the captains come down to the basement each day, which is when Eren pulls out Levi’s “misplaced” key and lets Armin in for the night and the next morning making sure to wake up before they return to let Armin out. Eren’s let Armin into his cell since the first night Armin let himself in, both of them laying together in Eren’s bed and falling asleep in each other’s arms like when they were younger. 

Armin of course wishes for more than just sleep when he’s laying with Eren, but it has to be enough for him. 

(It never would be.) 

Eren’s splayed out on his bed while Armin is still studying one late night, fully enthralled in whatever he’s reading. Armin must’ve been so focused and so tired that he didn’t realize when he falls asleep at the desk until he’s roused by his body being moved then lifted by Eren. Armin is the lightest sleeper in the world, easily being woken up by something as quiet as whispers coming from across the room. He barely got any sleep during training after being put in a room with all the other male recruits. 

Armin keeps his eyes closed as Eren lays him on his bed, rolling back onto his side to face Eren as he lays down with him. Armin feels Eren’s arm snake under his neck and grab onto his shoulder, his other free hand tangling into Armin’s hair and running his fingers through it. He’s almost lulled back to sleep by the warm gesture and gentle sensation until he feels Eren’s hand leave his hair and stroke his cheek. 

That’s new. 

Armin is caught off guard, his breath hitching in his throat for a split second but tries to regain his composure and slow down his breathing again so it seems like he’s still sleeping. His burning cheeks betray his efforts at doing so and he hears Eren’s breath slightly hitch as well, surprised at himself and his actions and most likely noticing Armin knowing what he did. He takes his hand from Armin’s face and buries it back into his hair, pulling him closer to his chest than before with his other. 

Armin can feel them both breathing heavily, not being able to calm down. That wasn’t something that they normally did, but Armin finds himself missing the contact and wanting Eren to keep on doing it. He responds to Eren’s touch since  _ what the hell, he already knows I’m awake, _ and wraps his arms around Eren’s waist and hugs him back. He moves his head higher up Eren’s chest and closer to his neck, able to hear his rapid heartbeat which was matched with Armin’s. Eren starts at Armin’s hair again, calming him down as Armin lets himself be lulled back to sleep by Eren and his now steady heartbeat. 

**III.**

It’s different.

Not because of Armin’s harboring feelings, or Eren’s confusing actions when he thinks Armin is sleeping. They still share the bed and they still hold each other the same, but Armin can tell Eren’s holding back on something. They usually talk when they lay down, until one of them drifts off first mid conversation, that person usually being Armin. He never fell asleep easily, but he couldn’t help but feel warm and safe with Eren’s voice that was smooth when he wanted it to be. Instead a feeling of dread looms over the two, apprehension for what is to come after learning of their fate. Their curse. 

Despite it all, Armin doesn’t find himself to be horribly fazed by the discovery, after just cheating death a week earlier at Shiganshina. If anything, he feels more lost being alive, as he was so sure that he was going to be giving his life at that moment and fully accepted it. But he sees how shellshocked Eren is, with his unusual quietness and how he tightens his grip on Armin gradually. When he looks up at Eren he sees the same look he’s seen the past week they’ve been in the basement where he’s not fully there but all the emotions are. But Armin knows it’s not memories, Eren’s stuck in his own head now with his own thoughts and feelings and he can feel it radiating off of him.

“I can see the steam coming out of your ears.”

“What?” Eren comes back to Armin and looks down at him looking up at him, still laid on his chest. Armin chuckles at Eren’s sudden alertness. 

“What’re you thinking?” Armin feels Eren stiffen up, knowing he just asked a risky question. Eren wasn’t one to express his feelings so freely unless in bouts of anger and lashing out, usually at Jean. Armin takes his hand from beside Eren to his arm, squeezing it gently, encouragingly.

“I.. never really expected a long life once I joined the Scouts, not even after discovering my powers. I always thought I’d still somehow get eaten by some random Titan or be captured by whoever else wants to get a hold of my powers,” Eren confesses. “But being given a set death date? And just knowing I won’t get much older? It changes everything.” Armin sucks in a small breath, surprised by Eren’s honesty and openness. He doesn’t think he’s even heard Eren be this vulnerable before. He stays quiet though, to let Eren fully express himself. “I guess joining the Scouts is an automatic death sentence that could come anytime but I always thought the three of us would beat the odds and be able to make something of ourselves. End this war. Explore the world. See the sea with my own two eyes, with you. I’m almost halfway through my borrowed time and that second half is just going to pass us by. What if I don’t get us to the sea, Armin?”

Armin is taken aback by Eren’s words, shooting up from his hold and sitting himself up. “Eren, you can’t lose hope now. We finally know that there’s a whole world out there with other people, with other forests to be explored with different kinds of animals in them, so much of the sea to gather salt from!”

“Now we are! It took us five years just to confirm that there’s  _ something  _ truly beyond these walls. And there are still countless Titans beyond those walls that still want to eat us and won’t let us get past them. Who knows how far the sea is from here, if we’ll ever get the chance to even reach it or try to.” Eren sits himself up against the wall, going from a whisper to a normal tone.

“I won’t let that happen. I’ll get you to see no matter what it takes, Eren. You know that.”

“Get  _ us  _ to the sea Armin. I’m not letting you pull something like that again for me.” Eren takes Armin’s hand as he talks, clasping it between the both of his.  _ Holy shit. _

“Y-yeah,” Armin looks down as he feels his face heat up. Eren brings his hand to his chest, ignoring Armin’s reaction.

“I told Levi in Shiganshina about how I forgot our dream because of my hatred for Titans, the vengeance I felt I needed to get for my mother’s death. But you never lost that Armin. You still have beautiful dreams in that beautiful mind of yours.” 

Armin starts to question Eren’s words, does he even know what he’s saying? Is he still talking to Eren?

“I don’t want to live with so much hate in my heart anymore, but it’s getting harder with all of my father’s memories finally catching up to me. I want to live out my final years with meaning, with love. Leaving no regrets behind.”

Where is he going with this?

“Eren, you still have eight years left. You can still go at your own pace,” 

“Armin, look at how fast five years went by. So much is changing now, those other eights are going to catch up quick. I don’t know what you’re on about.”

“I could say the same,” Armin finds himself muttering, but Eren ignores him.

“Those eight years still aren’t guaranteed. You’re the perfect example of anything unexpected being able to happen. What if one of us were actually captured or eaten or killed right now?” Armin feels Eren’s heart begin to beat faster under his hand, clearly getting panicked. “If I’m lucky, nothing happens to me and I die like I’m supposed to in eight years. But I know that there’s  _ something  _ I need to do now so I don’t miss the chance again.”

Armin’s completely lost Eren at this point, already having lost him at the beginning of his tangent that he provoked. “Eren, what do you mean?”

“I…” Eren sits himself up slightly, a different look in his eyes now. One Armin had never seen before, a certain softness and nervousness in them. Eren drops Armin’s hand, replacing them on Armin’s nape and the other on his hip as he suddenly presses their lips together.  _ Holy  _ **_shit!_ **

Armin puts his hands on Eren’s shoulders, pulling himself back suddenly out of disbelief, as if he had to really make sure that this was happening. Eren’s eyes snapped open and they started to fill with panic when we saw Armin’s expression.

“Armin I’m so sorry, I didn’t,” Eren starts to pull his hands from Armin back to himself, but Armin presses his lips to Eren’s this time, and the two seem to start moving their lips together at the same time. 

Armin’s the one to deepen the kiss as he rolls onto his side then on his back, bringing Eren down on top of him. Eren keeps one hand on the bed to hold himself up as the other one goes up to Armin’s cheek and Armin follows, moving his hands up Eren’s shoulders and neck and stopping at his cheeks. Armin can’t believe that this is actually happening, he’s kissing Eren, his best friend, the boy he’s loved since he met him. Everything about the moment is perfect, everything about Eren is perfect, his hands calloused but not too rough, his face completely smooth and soft like he imagined, his lips chapped but still absolutely perfect. 

He forgets everything in that moment, Mikasa in the next cell, that he’s not even supposed to be in the cell, that Levi or Hange could come down here at any given moment like this, he couldn’t find himself to care to worry about that risk either. All that matters in that moment is that he’s all Eren’s, Eren’s all his, the only thing he can hear is lips smacking, shaky and shallow breaths as one of them comes up for air but the other one just kisses the other’s face while they do that so the moment doesn’t end too soon. 

Eren’s the one to finally break the kiss, rolling off of Armin and onto his side, Armin following him as he rolls onto his so he can see Eren. They stare at each other for a couple seconds until Armin pecks his lips a couple more times, lingering for the last one as he finally settles his head on the shared pillow. Eren lets out a small giggle first and his face turns a deep shade of red, making Armin’s heart burst with happiness as he makes sure to keep yet another sound and an image in his mind for when he needed it. Armin starts to quietly giggle with Eren then hushes him just as quickly so they don’t wake up Mikasa as he presses a hand to Eren’s mouth. Eren takes hold of Armin’s wrist and kisses his palm and brings it down to his chest, making Armin’s face feel like it’s on fire. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Eren breathes out, closing his eyes blissfully.

“Trust me, I do.” Armin says, getting a laugh out of the both of them. 

“Armin, I want the sea to be my only regret. I love you Armin, and I have ever since I met you. You and your beautiful mind make me want to give my life, myself meaning. You give me meaning.”

“Never knew you had such a way with words,” Armin quips then kisses Eren again. 

“Only with you.” 

“I’m just happy you’re allowing me to love you for the better part of my remaining years Eren,” Armin kisses him one more time, he can never see himself getting sick of that. He doesn’t see Eren growing tired of it either. Eren pulls Armin closer to him and wraps his arms around his shoulders, fully enclosing him. Armin wraps both of his arms around Eren’s waist as he buries his head in Eren’s neck and entangles their legs. Eren rests his head on top of Armin’s, letting out a small sigh. Armin finds himself falling asleep quickly, but not before he feels Eren kiss the top of his head. 

***

“Fuckin’ horny teenagers,” Armin shoots up when he hears Levi’s sneer the next morning. Shit, guess he must’ve been so warm and comfortable in Eren’s arms. He remembers the events of last night and their makeout session as he reaches under Eren’s pillow and brings the key to Levi. His face is still on fire and he keeps his head down as Levi unlocks the door and lets him out of the cell, Armin not finding the courage to look him in the eye. 

Levi lets out a small scoff as Armin walks ahead of him and Armin glances back at Eren’s cell, seeing Eren’s face suddenly hidden in his pillow as if to shield himself from the captain as well. “You should feel lucky it was me and not Hange who came down here, she would’ve given you the embarrassment of your life,” Levi says. “But to keep it between us you can do extra morning training and cleaning for both you and lover boy back there.” Armin almost lets out a groan, but catches himself before he gets a beating from an already abrasive Levi.

The cleaning and training almost leave Armin dead on the floor at the end of the morning, but he finds himself ready to do it again if it meant getting to be with Eren like that forever.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm also caught up with the manga and i'm extremely upset with what happens with my boys, so i've decided to ignore that bullshit and just know that four years later they are still going strong. pretty sure you'll be getting a lot more from me for the rest of summer bc i can't get enough of eremin.
> 
> you can find me on [tumblr](https://erenmin.tumblr.com)
> 
> feedback is appreciated!


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